BUICK CLASSIC

June 7, 2002

David Gossett

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome David Gossett, with a 4-under 67, and that leaves you at 9-under, one back of Loren Roberts.

David, you started on the front today and got off on a little bad foot, bogey on 1.

DAVID GOSSETT: I bogeyed the first hole, chipped it up to about 15 feet, missed that. Almost made it.

Started both days with a bogey, and then hung in there and found ways to shoot in the 60s, so that was good, I thought.

5 and 6 -- 5 is the par 5, that's right. I hit a 3-wood off the tee. I hit 2-iron short right of the bunker. Chipped up to about seven feet and made the putt.

6, the next hole, I hit a great 9-iron to about two feet and made birdie there.

10 I hit driver, then had to hit a little punch shot, came in short, chipped up short just barely over that ridge and 2-putted from 15 feet.

The next birdie would be on No. 10. I took the old driver out today and went for it with driver. Knocked it just short of the green and 2-putted about 90 feet. Long 2-putt. Rolled it up to about four feet short. It was a great putt. I was probably about four yards off the front edge of the green and rolled it up to four feet and made that for birdie.

12, I hit a good drive down the right edge of the fairway. I hit a 6-iron fade to about 15 feet and made a great putt, right to the left, right in the center.

17 and 18, hit a 3-wood on 17, 9-iron cut shot and hit the ridge and kicked back to about 20 feet and rolled that in the middle.

18, hit driver, 2-iron and 2-putted just off the green from about 35 feet.

All in all, felt pretty solid the first two rounds. Had my sister, Joni, caddying for me. She finished her freshman year at Vanderbilt a couple of weeks ago. She played on the golf team there. Made the traveling squad and played in the NCAA. She's definitely a good golfer. She's caddied for me before, last summer in Hershey, BUY.COM event, finished fifth place. She did a great job and she caddied for me at the U.S. Open qualifying in Chicago one time when I was an amateur, 36 holes in one day. So she did pretty good that day. And in the Georgia Cup, as well, the week before the Masters.

TODD BUDNICK: For somebody who has not played this course before, it looks like you feel right at home here.

DAVID GOSSETT: Well, so far, so good. I definitely liked this golf course from the first time I saw it. I played nine holes on Tuesday and had the Pro-Am on Wednesday.

I feel this course sets up well for me. It's a ball-striker's golf course. You have to hit it straight off the tee. I love how there's dogleg lefts and rights. It encourages you to work the ball both ways off the tee. And the greens are small and undulating. I like the course a lot. The rough is up a little bit. You get rewarded for hitting the fairway and a little penalized for hitting the rough. It's a great concept, I think.

TODD BUDNICK: Do you think it's an advantage, having the night off when everybody else has to get up early tomorrow?

DAVID GOSSETT: Definitely, to have that amount of rest to, know where I'm at and to play two good rounds, I'll be able to rest up and be ready to go sometime when I go tomorrow afternoon.

Q. What do you know of Loren Roberts and his reputation in terms of -- he's obviously a veteran here, but his putting and whatnot?

DAVID GOSSETT: Well, I know Loren pretty well because he lives in Germantown, Tennessee, the same town where I live. I was a junior golfer growing up watching him win on the PGA TOUR and see him putt the eyes out of it at Southwind. I've played with him several times. He's a soft-spoken gentleman, but a player who has showed that he's a champion on the TOUR several times.

I hope we get paired together. Hopefully someone won't go crazy out there, but it would be fun to play with him in the final group, if that's the case.

Q. A lot of the people, in the media, they have dubbed the term "Young Guns" for people like you and Matt and Charles. Do you like that monicker or would you rather be looked at individually?

DAVID GOSSETT: You know, Young Gun, I can think of worse, definitely.

I think that it is unique, our class of juniors who are doing so well, now playing on the PGA TOUR, young men. Obviously, that's probably why they are named Young Guns, plural.

I'm just very pleased to be part of that: 23 years old, on the PGA TOUR with a win under my belt from last year, I'm very pleased to be a part of that group, no question.

Q. Did you play with Loren much when you were growing up or was he out on TOUR?

DAVID GOSSETT: He was on TOUR and I was in school. We saw each other more at the driving range hitting balls. The last two years since I've turned pro, we have gotten closer because when I'm at home and he's at home occasionally, we'll go play and practice and out here on the road we see each other pretty occasionally, actually. We've had dinner together several times and see each other almost every week. We played together at Bay Hill this year the first two rounds with Tiger Woods who showed us how to play Bay Hill golf course.

Q. How bad was the lie on 16?

DAVID GOSSETT: 16 was down in the gunch pretty good. It was sitting up, it was down but I had a little room to go underneath it, so that's why I went for the flop. I was just trying to get it over the bunker and hit it hard and have a putt at it and it came out perfect.

Q. What was your Open -- did you go sectional?

DAVID GOSSETT: I went to U.S. Open qualifying on Monday in Cincinnati and shot 5-under par and missed by four shots. There were three spots available. Took 9-under par to qualify. Steve Flesch, Ian Leggatt and a kid named Todd Rose qualified. I missed out.

Q. Loren was talking about this is his Open at this point because he didn't get through the sectional, either. Do you feel the same way?

DAVID GOSSETT: I guess so. It's certainly in the same town. It's a U.S. Open style course, but I certainly see it as the Buick Classic. I'm just taking it for what it's worth. I think I'm playing well. I'm just trying to enjoy the week and I've gotten off to a good start, obviously.

But it's half-time and I've got my sister out there on the bag with me, and I'm looking to learn this weekend and looking to just try to go out there and do what's gotten me here.

Q. Anything about having won last year that will help you this weekend?

DAVID GOSSETT: Well, the fact that I've been there before and that I've got the deal done, I guess, so to speak.

I will reflect on the John Deere and try to gain confidence from that, there's no question. I feel very fortunate that the first time I had a chance to win a PGA TOUR event, I was able to capitalize. It's so competitive out here and the players are great. Each week, I'm playing with champions and there's a tremendous amount of talent out here. For me, on a my sponsor's exemption, to shoot 66 in the final round that was a big confidence boost.

So I will definitely be reflecting upon that and the fact that I'm playing well here.

Q. Is 10 a hole that you think that you can go at every day, including the weekend, and what do you think of having a short par 4 like that?

DAVID GOSSETT: I love a hole like that on the PGA TOUR. I think it's great. It's fun to watch guys going for it with a driver. It's risk/reward. There is some gunch down there on the left if you hook it a little bit that can make it a 5 or a 6.

I hit an iron yesterday and played it safe and hit a wedge on, 3-putted. (Laughs). I think it's a great hole. I don't go for it every time, as I laid up the first day.

I think the pin placement and the wind has a lot to do with it for me. Today the pin was in the back and the wind was blowing off to the right and I was hitting my driver well so I just fired it at the tree down there, the right bunker came up just short, right in between the neck. I was able to putt it. That's a fun hole, I think.

Q. If you should happen to win, does Joni get the traditional 15 percent?

DAVID GOSSETT: I think we'll work out something. 15 percent? What, come on now. She's in here. Let's be careful. (Laughter.)

We'll take that as it comes. We're really just here having a fun week, and it's nice to be able to play well, also.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, David.

End of FastScripts....